Hinged louver assemblies



Nov. 19, 1963 R- s. NASLUND 3,110,937

HINGED LOUVER ASSEMBLIES Filed Dec. 11, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. PU Th 8. NASA U/VQ ATTOEA/E K United States Patent 3,110,937 I-IINGEI) LUUVER ASSEMEL Ruth S. Nasiund, 173 N. 8th Ave, Des Fiaines, Iii. Filed Dec. 11, 1961, Ser. No. 158,216 1 Ciaim. (CI. 20-62) This invention relates to improvements in movable closure assemblies for openings in buildings, and more particularly to improvements in hinged louver assemblies for doors and windows.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved hinged louver assembly for doors or windows which is relatively simple in construction, which is easy to operate, and which provides a tight seal when closed.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved louver assembly for doors and windows which involves relatively inexpensive parts, which is durable in construction, which provides a tighter and more reliable seal when in closed position than has been heretofore obtainable, and which is readily operable to swing its associated louver slats to wide-open positions to provide maximum air transmission therethrough.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claim, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view, with parts broken away, of a window panel unit provided with hinged louver assemblies constructed in accordance with the present invention, as installed in a frame opening in a building.

FIGURE 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken substantially on line 2--2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken through the upper portion of the unit of FIGURES 1 and 2. substantially on the line -3-3 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3A is a vertical cross-sectional view taken through the lower portion of a window panel unit similar to that of FIGURES 1 and 2 but showing a modification.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal crosssectional view taken substantially on the line -4-4 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 55 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary elevational view taken substantially on line 6--6 of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIGURE 5 but showing a modification.

FIGURE 8 is an elevational view similar to FIGURE 6, partly in cross-section, and showing the modified louver actuating structure of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view similar to FIGURES 5 and 7 but showing a further modification.

FIGURE 10 is an elevational view similar to FIGURES 6 and 8 but showing the modified louver actuating structure of FIGURE 9.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGURES l to 6, 11 generally designates a complete window panel assembly according to the present invention installed in a rectangular opening 12 in the wall 13 of a building. The assembly Ill comprises a supporting frame 14 secured in the opening 12 and including upper and lower transverse horizontal divider plates 15 and 1e defining an intermediate window section in which are installed the fixed transparent window panes 17 and 18 located substantially :at the outer and inner sides of the window panel assembly. Thus, there are defined the respective upper and lower window sections 19 and 24) containing inner and outer sets of pivoted louvers 2.1. The louvers are mounted on horizontal shafts 23, the shafts of each set of louvers being connected by arms 24 to vertical link bars 25, the upper and lower sets of shafts being rotated 3,110,937 Patented. Nov. 19, 1963 ICC simultaneously by suitable operating mechanisms, each comprising a transverse driving shaft 2o journalled in the frame 14 and provided with a hand crank 27 and aworm F23. The worms 28 mesh with worm gears 29 suitably journailed in the frame '14 and drivingly connected to the louver shafts through the arms 24- and the link bars 25. Thus, as shown in FIGURE 2, the lower louver shaft linkages may be interconnected by a diagonal link bar 32 and driven directly by the lower worm gear 29, whereas the upper louver shaft linkages may be interconnected by sprockets and a sp-rocket chain 33 and may be driven through further sprockets and an associated vertical sprocket chain 31.

Any conventional driving means for the louver shafts maybe employed in place of the mechanism illustrated in FIGURE 2.

Suitable screens 34 may be secured at the outer sides of the upper and lower window sections 1? and 2%.

The upper and lower window sections 19 and 20 include spaced horizontal stationary intermediate frame bars 35 and the marginal stationary frame bars 36, defining the respective openings associated with the louvers 21. Inwardly projecting horizontal flanges 38 are provided on the respective horizontal members above and below the louver openings, and gasket strips 3-7 or resilient deformable material are secured around the louver openings in positions to be sea'lingly engaged by the edges of the iouvers, the horizontal portions of the gasket strips being secured on said flanges, and the vertical portions of said gaskets being secured to the vertical side flanges 39 of frasne 14, as shown in FIGURE 4.

Each louver 2 1 is provided with a plurality of spaced inwardly projecting supporting arms til, said arms being formed at their inner ends with sleeves 41 extending parallel to the associated louver. The sleeves 41 are frictiona-lly engaged on respective cylindrical blocks 4-2 rigid- =ly secured eccentrically on the associated louver shaft 2-3. Each sleeve 41 is formed with spaced longitudinal slots as opening at one end of the sleeve so that the sleeve exerts a resilient yieldable frictional gripping action on its associated cylindrical block 42. Said gripping action is normally sufiicient to cause the associated louver 21 to rotate with its shaft 23, but is yieldable to allow relative rotation between the sleeves 4 1 and the blocks 42 when the louver is restrained against rotation although free to move in a direction perpendicular to the shaft 23 as will be presently explained.

Thus, with a louver 21 in closed position, namely, sealingly engaging its gasket 37, as shown in full line view in FIGURE 5, counterclockwise rotation of its shaft 23 will cause the louver to be first retracted inwardly from its gasket, namely, to be moved to the left from its full line position of FIGURE 5, since it is initially restrained against rotation by its enclosing gasket and adjacent framework. As soon as the louver has been retracted sufficiently to clear its associated gasket and adjacent framework, the louver is free to rotate and then follows the continued counterclockwise rotation of its shaft 23, being eventually elevated to the fully open horizontal position thereof shown in dotted view at the left side of FIGURE 5. A reverse action occurs when the louver shaft is rotated clockwise to lower the louver from its elevated dotted view position in FIGURE 5 until its bottom edge engages the associated lower flange 33, restraining further rotation of the louver, and causing the louver to be moved horizontally outwardly into sealing engagement with its associated gasket 37 by the crank action of its associated eccentric blocks 42 on the friction sleeves 41 surrounding same.

FIGURES 7 and 8 illustrate a modified form of operating connection between the louver shaft 23 and the associated louver 21. The louver 21 is here provided with a plurality of parallel spaced arms having diagonally extending end edges 45, each arm being pivotally connected at 46 to an adjacent disc 4-7 rigidly secured on the shaft 23. The pivotal connections 46 are located so that their axes are below the horizontal plane containing the axis of shaft 23 when the louver is in its closed position engaging its sealing gasket 37. It will be seen that in this position, clockwise rotation of shaft 23 urges the shaft into carnming engagement with the downwardly and outwardly inclined diagonal camming edges 45, the louver being constrained to move horizontally by the engagement of its lower edge with the portion of its gasket 37 on the associated lower flange 38. A coiled spring 48 may be employed connecting the lower forward portion of the arm 44!- with a point on its associated disc 47 substantially diametrically opposite the pivotal connection 46 to develop a force on the arm 44 in the same direction as that exerted by the shaft 23 when the louver approaches its closed position.

When the shaft 23 is rotated counterclockwise from the position thereof shown in FIGURE 7, the pivotal connec tions 45-6 are similarly rotated so that eventually the shaft '23 carnntingly engages the lower portions of the inclined camming edges 45, the louver being retracted as the pivotal connections 46 travel upwardly, and the louver being rotated upwardly by the camming action of shaft 23 on said lower portions of edges 45. In the arrangement illustrated in FIGURE 7 the pivotal connections 46 may rotate counterclockwise through an angle of approximately 170. Due to the substantial diameter of shaft 23, said shaft will engage the lower portions of the edges 45 after about 90 of rotation thereof, which will be sufiicient to retract louver 21 so that it will clear the upper portion of its associated sealing gasket and the flange adjacent thereto to allow the louver to be elevated. The louver will therefore be elevated to the dotted view position thereof shown in FIGURE 7.

A reverse action takes place when shaft 23 is rotated clockwise, to cause the louver to be rotated from the dotted view open position of FIGURE 7 to the closed full line position shown therein.

In the modification illustrated in FIGURES 9 and 10, the louvers '21 are provided with U-shaped brackets 50 each bracket having an elongated main arm 51 formed with a longitudinal slot 52 through which the associated shaft 23 slidably extends. Each bracket 51 has a shorter arm 53 extending parallel to the main arm and connected thereto by the bight portion 54 of the bracket, which is rigidly secured to the associated louver. Rigid-1y mounted on the shaft 23 adjacent the brackets 59* are respective discs 55 formed with obtuse-angled recesses 56. Pivotally connected at 57 in the recesses 56 adjacent the vertices of the recesses are the ends of link bars 58 which are pivotally connected at their opposite ends to the arms 53, as shown at 59. Link bars 58 extend parallel to the planes of main arms 51 of the brackets 50,

When a louver 21 is in its closed position, as shown in FlGURE 9, the top edges of the associated link bars 53 are inclined upwardly and forwardly and are engaged by the similarly inclined top edges 64 of the associated obtusely angled recesses 56. Clockwise rotation of shaft 23 in this position develops an outwardly directed horizontal force component which is transmitted to the louver and urges it sealingly against its gasket 37. VJhen the shaft 2-3 is rotated counterclockwise from the position of FIG- URE 9, the pivotal connections 57 travel upwardly and eventually cause the link bars 53 to retract the louver inwardly, away from its gasket 37 and the flanges adjacent thereto. Eventually the lower edges 61 of the recesses 5d engage the lower edges of the link bars 58, causing the louvers to be rotated upwardly toward their open positions.

FEGURE 3A illustrates a modification wherein the horizontal marginal bars 35 of FIGURE 1 are omitted and wherein the louvers are provided as required with resilient deformable gasket strips 713 on their horizontal edges to sealingly engage with the horizontal edges of adjacent louvers when the louver assembly is operated to its closed position.

While certain specific embodiments of hinged louver assemblies have been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a movable closure assembly, a supporting frame, a plurality of louvers rotatably disposed in said frame in parallel relationship and being movable to positions parallel to the frame and coplanar with each other, respective parallel louver operating shafts journalled in said frame adjacent the louvers, means to simultaneously rotate the shafts, a plurality of parallel supporting arms on each louver extending toward its operating shaft, means to limit rotation of the louvers when they are in said positions, crank means on the shafts adjacent the arms, and means eccentrically connecting said crank means to the arms and developing force on the arms substantially normal to the louvers responsive to rotation of the shaft when the louvers are in said positions, said crank means comprising disc members secured on said shafts and pivotally connected to said arms, said arms being formed with diagonally inclined end edges engageable by the shafts on opposite sides of the pivotal connections of the disc members to the arms.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 714,714 Kroder Dec. 2, 1902 2,558,220 McLachlan June 26, 1951 2,809,826 Graham Oct. 15, 19 57 

